Longhouses were very important shelters for the Iroquois. They used many materials to make a longhouse such as elm bark, tree trunks and deer tendons. First, they made the rectangular frame of the longhouse by bending and fitting the wooden poles into the right places. Then, the Iroquois covered the whole frame with sections of bark. After the longhouse was finished it was anywhere from typically 30 to 200 feet long, 15 to 25 feet wide and 10 to 20 feet high. There were smoke holes at the top of each longhouse to allow smoke from the fires to escape from the longhouse. Whenever there was rain or snow, the Native Americans would pull down a flap to cover the hole. These flaps were made from animal skins. Also, there were two doors, one at each end of the longhouse. These doors were also covered with large animal skins. Over the front door, the Iroquois placed a clan symbol to show what clan they belonged to. The longhouse was a unique shelter built by the Iroquois people.
The interior of the shelter was very important to the Iroquois people. There were no windows, which made it very dark inside except for the fires down the center path. The fires were shared by two families. The fires provided light, warmth and a heat source for cooking food. Bunk beds were placed along the side walls. They doubled as benches during the day. The shelves above the beds held many things like animal skins, clothes, pots, baskets (made of wood splints), food, bowls, corn husks and tools. Sometimes woven screens were used to divide the longhouse into sections for each family, so they could have their privacy. Shelter was very important and helped the Iroquois people in many ways.The Iroquois tribes celebrated many festivals throughout the year. At the Maple Festival they collected the sap to make syrup and sugar
The Iroquois asked the spirits to help make seeds grow during the Planting Festival. The Senecas called strawberries the first fruit of the earth and held a Strawberry Festival in the summer. At the Green Corn and Harvest Festivals the Iroquois gathered their crops. The last festival was the New Year's Festival. It was the largest of all and lasted four days. The Iroquois celebrated at their festivals by singing, dancing, praying and playing games.
The False Face Society was used to scare away evil spirits that caused sickness and death. This secret society performed special dances. They carved masks out of a living tree. They believed if they carved their masks out of a living tree the strength and spirit of the tree went into the mask. The masks looked like strange and scary monsters that the men had seen in their dreams. The False Face Society was an important part of the Iroquois beliefs.
WORK FOR THEM
Iroquois had to do a lot of hard work. Men did all the heavy work. For instance, they made the shelter and palisade. Men would cut down trees to clear land forthe villages. Men would also build and carve a variety of things like snowshoes, mortar and pestle, war clubs, bowls, bows and arrows, and ladles. Men also would defend the village in which they lived. Another important role of the men was to do all of the hunting to provide meat for the tribe. The Iroquois men had to be strong to complete all of the tasks required of them..
Iroquois women did a lot of hard work in their daily lives. Whenever the husband killed a deer, the women had to help carry it back to the village. Then the women had to tan the deer skin to make clothing. Also, they would take the deer meat and cook it or smoke it. Women were responsible for growing crops. Women also had to take care of the children, make clothes, cook, and weave baskets. All were difficult chores, but necessary
The Iroquois enjoyed playing games to improve their strength and agility. A game played in the winter by the Iroquois was called snowsnake. They started out by digging a path or grove in the snow and sprinkling it with water which made a smooth surface. Then they made a long wooden stick and slid it across the path dug in the snow. The person who slid the snowsnake the farthest won.
A game often played in the summer was called darts. The game started out with two teams. Each player within the two teams had six darts or spears. Each team had a hoop rolled in front of them. The players then had to try to throw the darts though the hoop. The team with the best accuracy won. Iroquois games were very important in their every day lives because they learned skills that helped them in their adult lives.
The Iroquois played many sports and games, but lacrosse was their favorite. They did not have much equipment. They had a stick with a net at one end, a ball made out of wood or animal skin, a goal post at each end on the field and no other protective equipment. The purpose of the game was to pass the ball around and try to score goals. Whoever scored the most goals won. The game was played for fun, but that's not the only reason. They also played to improve their skills including aim, speed and strength. Lacrosse was played by boys and men mainly. The games sometimes went on for two or three days. One game even ended up in a war. Thanks to the Iroquois, lacrosse is still played today by people of all ages.
The Iroquois children had fun playing for entertainment in their spare time. The girls spent most of their time playing with corn husk dolls. These dolls had no face because the Iroquois felt if they did, a spirit would be harmed. The young girls would also play house to strengthen their mothering skills. The boys had fun playing many sports and games. While playing, the Iroquois children learned skills that would help the throughout life.
The Iroquois people used tools to help them in their daily lives. One tool that was important to the Iroquois was the canoe. It was made out of a hollowed-out log and used to travel from village to village or to a hunting ground. One other tool, the knife, was a sharpened piece of rock tied on to a minute carved piece of wood that was used to cut bark and could also be used as a weapon to scalp enemies. Another tool used by the Iroquois was the bone awl. It could be used to poke holes and designs in moist pottery if carved properly. Last of all, the snowshoe was a wooden frame tied together to spread the body weight out and keep people on top of the snow. The snow shoes helped the Iroquois travel with ease and speed throughout the winter. It took time to make tools, but it was worth it.
Weapons were some of the most important items to the Iroquois nation. The spear’s main job was for catching fish. The Iroquois main use for the bow and arrow was for catching bison ( buffalo), deer, bear, and maybe even moose! The other reason that the bow and arrow was important to the Iroquois was because it was one of many weapons the Iroquois used in battle. Another valuable weapon was the war club. The war club was made of wood and stone. It had a carved handle and its width was that of a 2x4. At the top, there was a thick wooden ball that could seriously injure enemies. Weapons were critical for hunting and protection.
The two types of Iroquois leaders were chiefs and sachems. Chiefs were chosen for their great courage and skills as warriors. Usually they performed some great service for the tribe. On the other hand, sachems were chosen for their wisdom and knowledge of their tribe, as well as everyday life. Sachems held a highly respected position in the tribe. Both of these leaders had an important role in making the tribe strong.
The Iroquois had a strong and united government! All 50 sachems gathered together to discuss issues and make decisions. The sachems carefully listened to all discussions that went on at council meetings before making judgments and decisions that impacted members of the tribe. All major meetings and discussions were held at central council in the Onondaga territory. Young boys and girls respected the wise sachems and brave chiefs. The Iroquois were a powerful nation because of their strong government
The Iroquois carefully choose the locations for their villages. They lived on a hill so that they could protect themselves. The hill allowed them to see enemies approaching. If they were being attacked, the Iroquois could just look down and throw rocks or use other weapons to protect themselves. They also lived near a spring for a fresh water supply. The Iroquois thought it was important to build their villages near rivers to make transportation easier. A special location was essential for the success of a village. . The Iroquois carefully organized their villages. A village could have anywhere from 20 longhouses all the way to100 houses. The longhouses in the village were built in random patterns so that if a fire started in one house it wouldn’t spread to others. A palisade surrounded the village. This protective fence had a shelf to hold rocks to throw at enemies and water to put out fires. Many families lived within the palisade to be protected and connected to other tribe members. The Iroquois planted their crops in fields outside the palisade. The village was very important to the Iroquois way of life.
langueges.
Are the Iroquoian languages related to any other languages?
This is still an open question, and one on which research continues to this day. The language families which seem most likely to be related, distantly, to the Iroquoian family are the Siouan family and the Caddoan family. Most all of the languages in these families are spoken in the Great Plains, stretching from the prairies of Canada down to the heart of Dixie.
The languages of the Siouan family include:
Assiniboine, Biloxi, Catawba, Crow, Dakota, Hidatsa, Hocak (Winnebago), Iowa-Otoe, Kansa, Lakhota, Mandan, Ofo, Omaha-Ponca, Osage, Quapaw, Stoney and Tutelo.
The langauges of the Caddoan family include:
Arikara, Caddo Kitsai, Pawnee and Wichita.
The languages of the Algonquian family, which border Iroquoian-speaking areas throughout much of the Northeast, are clearly not related to the Iroquoian languages.
All of the Iroquoian languages today are endangered, to one degree or another, and two of the ten languages above, Huron and Wyandot, are already extinct, with no remaining native speakers. We can rank the remaining eight in table below. Note that the number of speakers given here is only a best-guesstimate, not an actual headcount.
Food
The Iroquois men hunted deer and other game. Boys were allowed to join the men in hunting after they had killed a deer by themselves. Farming determined the way the Indians lived. The Iroquois moved to new locations when their large fields no longer produced a good crop of beans, corn, and squash. They called beans, squash, and corn "The Three Sisters". The women tended the crops. One favorite food of the Iroquois was corn cakes. It was made by patting corn into round cakes then baking it.
Customs Confederacy The Conferacy was made up of six groups: Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. They called themselves Iroquois. They were big rivals with the Algonquians. White men called this group the League of Six Nations.
Festivals
The Iroquois Indians held six big festivals each year. Each festival lasted several days. During these festivals music was made by shaking rattles and beating drums. Rattles were made from gourds and turtle shells. The festivals included the New Year Festival in the winter, the Maple Festival in spring, the Corn Planting Festival, the Strawberry Festival, the Green Corn Festival, and the Harvest Festival of Thanksgiving. The festivals were held to give thanks to the good spirits for health, clothes, food, and happiness.
Women held a powerful position in the Iroquois tribe. They owned longhouses, controlled the land, and chose the chief. Children belonged to their mother's clan. When a man married, he lived with his wife's clan. False Society Masks ||
iroquoismask.gif (28408 bytes)
An injured or ill Iroquois Indian would sometimes ask the False Face Society to drive away the spirit of the illness or injury. The False Face Society wore masks carved from wood. After a new member joined the False Face Society he had to make his own mask.
To make the mask the Iroquois walked through the woods until he found a tree whose spirit talked to him. After talking to the tree, the Indian built a fire. He sprinkled tobacco, then stripped bark from the tree. Next the Indian outlined a face and cut out the section to the tree he had outlined. Then the Iroquois went into a secluded shelter to carve the mask. The mask was polished then decorated with hair, feathers, etc. Bowl Game ||
bowlgame2.jpg (19509 bytes)
The Iroquois Indians played the Sacred Bowl Game during the last day of the "Ceremonial of Midwinter" which marked the end of the year. The wooden bowl was decorated with four clan symbols - the bear, wolf, turtle, and deer. To play the game a player placed the six nuts which were colored on one side inside the bowl and hit the bowl against the ground. If five of the six pits turned up the same color, the player scored and took another turn. The first player to reach 10 points wins the game.
Tools and Weapons
The men made canoes, houses, and tools.
Snowshoes made winter hunting easier for the Iroquois. They traveled up to 50 miles a day wearing the snowshoes in deep snow. The Iroquois also wore snowshoes in ritual dances. Art ||
cornhuskmask.JPG (34197 bytes)
Sometimes the Indians wore corn husks masks or painted their faces to frighten away the evil spirits. The False Face Society was a group of medicine men who wore frightening masks made of wood. They were thought to posses special powers when they put on their masks.
The following is an e-mail sent to us by John Fadden on 12/28/02 regarding Iroquois masks :
Policy Statement On Medicine Masks The Grand Council of the Haudenosaunee, the Six Nations IroquoisConfederacy, issues the following policy statement regarding all medicinemasks of the Haudenosaunee.Medicine Societies Within the Haudenosaunee there are various medicine societies that havethe sacred duty to maintain the use and strength of special medicines, bothfor individual and community welfare. A medicine society is comprised ofHaudenosaunee who have partaken of the medicine and are thereby bound to theprotection and perpetuation of the special medicines. Such medicines areessential to the spiritual and emotional well-being of the Haudenosauneecommunities. The medicine societies are a united group of individuals whomust uphold and preserve the rituals that guard and protect the people, andthe future generations. Among these medicine societies are those that utilize the wooden masksor corn husk masks that represent the shred power of the original medicinebeings. Although there are variations of their images, all the masks havepower and an intended purpose that is solely for the members of therespective medicine societies. Interference with the sacred duties of thereligious freedom of the Haudenosaunee does great harm to the welfare of theHaudenosaunee communities.Status Of The Masks All wooden and corn husks masks of the Haudenosaunee are sacredregardless of size or age. By their very nature masks are empowered themoment they are made. The image of the mask is sacred and is only to beused for its intended purpose. Masks do not have to be put through anyceremony or have tobacco attached to them in order to become useful orpowerful. Masks should not be made unless they are to be used by members ofthe medicine society according to established tradition.Sale Of Masks There are no masks that can be made for commercial purposes.Individuals who make masks for sale or sell masks to non-Indians violate the intendeduse of the masks and such individuals must cease these activities as they dogreat harm to the Haudenosaunee. The commercialization of medicine masks isan exploitation of Haudenosaunee culture.Authority Over The Medicine Masks Each Haudenosaunee reservation has a medicine mask society that hasauthority over the use of masks for individual and community needs. Eachsociety is charged with the protection of their sacred masks and to assuretheir proper use. The Grand Council of Chiefs has authority over allmedicine societies and shall appoint individual leaders or medicinesocieties as necessary. However, no individual can speak or make decisions for medicinesocieties or displacement of medicine masks. No institution has authorityover medicine masks, as they are the sole responsibility of the medicinesocieties and the Grand Council of Chiefs.Exhibition Of Medicine Masks The public exhibition of all medicine masks is forbidden. Medicinemasks are not intended for everyone to see and such exhibition does notrecognize the sacred duties and special functions of the masks. The exhibition of masks by museums does not serve to enlighten thepublic regarding the culture of the Haudenosaunee as such exhibitionviolates the intended purpose of the mask and contributes to the desecrationof the sacred image. In addition, information regarding medicine societies is not meant forgeneral distribution. The non-Indian public does not have a right toexamine, interpret nor present the beliefs, functions and duties of the secret medicine societiesof the Haudenosaunee. The Sovereign responsibility of the Haudenosauneeover their spiritual duties must be respected by the removal of all medicinemasks from exhibitions and from access to non-Indians. Reproductions, castings, photographs or illustrations of medicine masksshould not be used in exhibitions, as the image of the medicine masks issacred and is not to be used in these fashions. To subject the image of themedicine masks to ridicule or misrepresentation is a violation of the sacredfunctions of the masks. The Council of Chiefs find that there is no proper way to explain,interpret, or present the significance of the medicine masks and thereforeasks that no attempt be made by museums to do other than to explain thewishes of the Haudenosaunee in this matter.Return Of Medicine Masks All Haudenosaunee medicine masks currently possessed by non-Indians,including museums, art galleries, historical societies, universities,commercial enterprises, foreign governments, and individuals, should bereturned to the Grand Council of Chiefs of the Haudenosaunee, who willassure their proper use and protection for future generations. There is no legal, moral or ethical way in which a medicine mask can beobtained or possessed by a non-Indian individual or an institution in thatin order for medicine masks to be removed from the society it would requirethe sanction of the Grand Council of Chiefs. This sanction has never beengiven. We ask all people to cooperate in the restoration of masks and othersacred objects to the proper caretakers among the Haudenosaunee. It is onlythrough these actions will the traditional culture remain strong and peaceto be restored to our communities.
The Iroquois Flag
The five shapes, often called "devices" represent the five original tribes. From left to right they represent the Seneca, the keepers of the Western Door; the Cayugas, the "people of the marsh" and "keepers of the Great Pipe"; The Onondaga, who were the "name bearers" who kept the wampum belt that contained the history of the Iroquois; the Oneida, the "stone people" symbolized by the Great Tree; and lastly the Mohawk, the "keepers of the eastern door".
By Emily Putz
THE HOME TO IROQUOIS INDENS
Longhouses were very important shelters for the Iroquois. They used many materials to make a longhouse such as elm bark, tree trunks and deer tendons. First, they made the rectangular frame of the longhouse by bending and fitting the wooden poles into the right places. Then, the Iroquois covered the whole frame with sections of bark. After the longhouse was finished it was anywhere from typically 30 to 200 feet long, 15 to 25 feet wide and 10 to 20 feet high. There were smoke holes at the top of each longhouse to allow smoke from the fires to escape from the longhouse. Whenever there was rain or snow, the Native Americans would pull down a flap to cover the hole. These flaps were made from animal skins. Also, there were two doors, one at each end of the longhouse. These doors were also covered with large animal skins. Over the front door, the Iroquois placed a clan symbol to show what clan they belonged to. The longhouse was a unique shelter built by the Iroquois people.
- The interior of the shelter was very important to the Iroquois people. There were no windows, which made it very dark inside except for the fires down the center path. The fires were shared by two families. The fires provided light, warmth and a heat source for cooking food. Bunk beds were placed along the side walls. They doubled as benches during the day. The shelves above the beds held many things like animal skins, clothes, pots, baskets (made of wood splints), food, bowls, corn husks and tools. Sometimes woven screens were used to divide the longhouse into sections for each family, so they could have their privacy. Shelter was very important and helped the Iroquois people in many ways.The Iroquois tribes celebrated many festivals throughout the year. At the Maple Festival they collected the sap to make syrup and sugar
- The Iroquois asked the spirits to help make seeds grow during the Planting Festival. The Senecas called strawberries the first fruit of the earth and held a Strawberry Festival in the summer. At the Green Corn and Harvest Festivals the Iroquois gathered their crops. The last festival was the New Year's Festival. It was the largest of all and lasted four days. The Iroquois celebrated at their festivals by singing, dancing, praying and playing games.
The False Face Society was used to scare away evil spirits that caused sickness and death. This secret society performed special dances. They carved masks out of a living tree. They believed if they carved their masks out of a living tree the strength and spirit of the tree went into the mask. The masks looked like strange and scary monsters that the men had seen in their dreams. The False Face Society was an important part of the Iroquois beliefs.
WORK FOR THEM
Iroquois had to do a lot of hard work. Men did all the heavy work. For instance, they made the shelter and palisade. Men would cut down trees to clear land forthe villages. Men would also build and carve a variety of things like snowshoes, mortar and pestle, war clubs, bowls, bows and arrows, and ladles. Men also would defend the village in which they lived. Another important role of the men was to do all of the hunting to provide meat for the tribe. The Iroquois men had to be strong to complete all of the tasks required of them..Iroquois women did a lot of hard work in their daily lives. Whenever the husband killed a deer, the women had to help carry it back to the village. Then the women had to tan the deer skin to make clothing. Also, they would take the deer meat and cook it or smoke it. Women were responsible for growing crops. Women also had to take care of the children, make clothes, cook, and weave baskets. All were difficult chores, but necessary
The Iroquois enjoyed playing games to improve their strength and agility. A game played in the winter by the Iroquois was called snowsnake. They started out by digging a path or grove in the snow and sprinkling it with water which made a smooth surface. Then they made a long wooden stick and slid it across the path dug in the snow. The person who slid the snowsnake the farthest won.
A game often played in the summer was called darts. The game started out with two teams. Each player within the two teams had six darts or spears. Each team had a hoop rolled in front of them. The players then had to try to throw the darts though the hoop. The team with the best accuracy won. Iroquois games were very important in their every day lives because they learned skills that helped them in their adult lives.
The Iroquois played many sports and games, but lacrosse was their favorite. They did not have much equipment. They had a stick with a net at one end, a ball made out of wood or animal skin, a goal post at each end on the field and no other protective equipment. The purpose of the game was to pass the ball around and try to score goals. Whoever scored the most goals won. The game was played for fun, but that's not the only reason. They also played to improve their skills including aim, speed and strength. Lacrosse was played by boys and men mainly. The games sometimes went on for two or three days. One game even ended up in a war. Thanks to the Iroquois, lacrosse is still played today by people of all ages.
The Iroquois children had fun playing for entertainment in their spare time. The girls spent most of their time playing with corn husk dolls. These dolls had no face because the Iroquois felt if they did, a spirit would be harmed. The young girls would also play house to strengthen their mothering skills. The boys had fun playing many sports and games. While playing, the Iroquois children learned skills that would help the throughout life.
The Iroquois people used tools to help them in their daily lives. One tool that was important to the Iroquois was the canoe. It was made out of a hollowed-out log and used to travel from village to village or to a hunting ground. One other tool, the knife, was a sharpened piece of rock tied on to a minute carved piece of wood that was used to cut bark and could also be used as a weapon to scalp enemies. Another tool used by the Iroquois was the bone awl. It could be used to poke holes and designs in moist pottery if carved properly. Last of all, the snowshoe was a wooden frame tied together to spread the body weight out and keep people on top of the snow. The snow shoes helped the Iroquois travel with ease and speed throughout the winter. It took time to make tools, but it was worth it.
Weapons were some of the most important items to the Iroquois nation. The spear’s main job was for catching fish. The Iroquois main use for the bow and arrow was for catching bison ( buffalo), deer, bear, and maybe even moose! The other reason that the bow and arrow was important to the Iroquois was because it was one of many weapons the Iroquois used in battle. Another valuable weapon was the war club. The war club was made of wood and stone. It had a carved handle and its width was that of a 2x4. At the top, there was a thick wooden ball that could seriously injure enemies. Weapons were critical for hunting and protection.
The two types of Iroquois leaders were chiefs and sachems. Chiefs were chosen for their great courage and skills as warriors. Usually they performed some great service for the tribe. On the other hand, sachems were chosen for their wisdom and knowledge of their tribe, as well as everyday life. Sachems held a highly respected position in the tribe. Both of these leaders had an important role in making the tribe strong.
The Iroquois had a strong and united government! All 50 sachems gathered together to discuss issues and make decisions. The sachems carefully listened to all discussions that went on at council meetings before making judgments and decisions that impacted members of the tribe. All major meetings and discussions were held at central council in the Onondaga territory. Young boys and girls respected the wise sachems and brave chiefs. The Iroquois were a powerful nation because of their strong government
The Iroquois carefully choose the locations for their villages. They lived on a hill so that they could protect themselves. The hill allowed them to see enemies approaching. If they were being attacked, the Iroquois could just look down and throw rocks or use other weapons to protect themselves. They also lived near a spring for a fresh water supply. The Iroquois thought it was important to build their villages near rivers to make transportation easier. A special location was essential for the success of a village.
.
The Iroquois carefully organized their villages. A village could have anywhere from 20 longhouses all the way to100 houses. The longhouses in the village were built in random patterns so that if a fire started in one house it wouldn’t spread to others. A palisade surrounded the village. This protective fence had a shelf to hold rocks to throw at enemies and water to put out fires. Many families lived within the palisade to be protected and connected to other tribe members. The Iroquois planted their crops in fields outside the palisade. The village was very important to the Iroquois way of life.
langueges.
Are the Iroquoian languages related to any other languages?
This is still an open question, and one on which research continues to this day. The language families which seem most likely to be related, distantly, to the Iroquoian family are the Siouan family and the Caddoan family. Most all of the languages in these families are spoken in the Great Plains, stretching from the prairies of Canada down to the heart of Dixie.The languages of the Siouan family include:
Assiniboine, Biloxi, Catawba, Crow, Dakota, Hidatsa, Hocak (Winnebago), Iowa-Otoe, Kansa, Lakhota, Mandan, Ofo, Omaha-Ponca, Osage, Quapaw, Stoney and Tutelo.
The langauges of the Caddoan family include:
Arikara, Caddo Kitsai, Pawnee and Wichita.
The languages of the Algonquian family, which border Iroquoian-speaking areas throughout much of the Northeast, are clearly not related to the Iroquoian languages.
All of the Iroquoian languages today are endangered, to one degree or another, and two of the ten languages above, Huron and Wyandot, are already extinct, with no remaining native speakers. We can rank the remaining eight in table below. Note that the number of speakers given here is only a best-guesstimate, not an actual headcount.
Mohawk
Oneida
Cayuga
Seneca
Onondaga
Tuscarora
Mingo
2,500
300
300
100
80
under 5
under 5
The Iroquois men hunted deer and other game. Boys were allowed to join the men in hunting after they had killed a deer by themselves. Farming determined the way the Indians lived. The Iroquois moved to new locations when their large fields no longer produced a good crop of beans, corn, and squash. They called beans, squash, and corn "The Three Sisters". The women tended the crops. One favorite food of the Iroquois was corn cakes. It was made by patting corn into round cakes then baking it.
Customs
Confederacy
The Conferacy was made up of six groups: Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. They called themselves Iroquois. They were big rivals with the Algonquians. White men called this group the League of Six Nations.
Festivals
The Iroquois Indians held six big festivals each year. Each festival lasted several days. During these festivals music was made by shaking rattles and beating drums. Rattles were made from gourds and turtle shells. The festivals included the New Year Festival in the winter, the Maple Festival in spring, the Corn Planting Festival, the Strawberry Festival, the Green Corn Festival, and the Harvest Festival of Thanksgiving. The festivals were held to give thanks to the good spirits for health, clothes, food, and happiness.
Women held a powerful position in the Iroquois tribe. They owned longhouses, controlled the land, and chose the chief. Children belonged to their mother's clan. When a man married, he lived with his wife's clan.
False Society Masks
||
To make the mask the Iroquois walked through the woods until he found a tree whose spirit talked to him. After talking to the tree, the Indian built a fire. He sprinkled tobacco, then stripped bark from the tree. Next the Indian outlined a face and cut out the section to the tree he had outlined. Then the Iroquois went into a secluded shelter to carve the mask. The mask was polished then decorated with hair, feathers, etc.
Bowl Game
||
Tools and Weapons
The men made canoes, houses, and tools.
Snowshoes made winter hunting easier for the Iroquois. They traveled up to 50 miles a day wearing the snowshoes in deep snow. The Iroquois also wore snowshoes in ritual dances.
Art
||
Sometimes the Indians wore corn husks masks or painted their faces to frighten away the evil spirits. The False Face Society was a group of medicine men who wore frightening masks made of wood. They were thought to posses special powers when they put on their masks.
The following is an e-mail sent to us by John Fadden on 12/28/02 regarding Iroquois masks :
Policy Statement On Medicine Masks The Grand Council of the Haudenosaunee, the Six Nations IroquoisConfederacy, issues the following policy statement regarding all medicinemasks of the Haudenosaunee.Medicine Societies Within the Haudenosaunee there are various medicine societies that havethe sacred duty to maintain the use and strength of special medicines, bothfor individual and community welfare. A medicine society is comprised ofHaudenosaunee who have partaken of the medicine and are thereby bound to theprotection and perpetuation of the special medicines. Such medicines areessential to the spiritual and emotional well-being of the Haudenosauneecommunities. The medicine societies are a united group of individuals whomust uphold and preserve the rituals that guard and protect the people, andthe future generations. Among these medicine societies are those that utilize the wooden masksor corn husk masks that represent the shred power of the original medicinebeings. Although there are variations of their images, all the masks havepower and an intended purpose that is solely for the members of therespective medicine societies. Interference with the sacred duties of thereligious freedom of the Haudenosaunee does great harm to the welfare of theHaudenosaunee communities.Status Of The Masks All wooden and corn husks masks of the Haudenosaunee are sacredregardless of size or age. By their very nature masks are empowered themoment they are made. The image of the mask is sacred and is only to beused for its intended purpose. Masks do not have to be put through anyceremony or have tobacco attached to them in order to become useful orpowerful. Masks should not be made unless they are to be used by members ofthe medicine society according to established tradition.Sale Of Masks There are no masks that can be made for commercial purposes.Individuals who make masks for sale or sell masks to non-Indians violate the intendeduse of the masks and such individuals must cease these activities as they dogreat harm to the Haudenosaunee. The commercialization of medicine masks isan exploitation of Haudenosaunee culture.Authority Over The Medicine Masks Each Haudenosaunee reservation has a medicine mask society that hasauthority over the use of masks for individual and community needs. Eachsociety is charged with the protection of their sacred masks and to assuretheir proper use. The Grand Council of Chiefs has authority over allmedicine societies and shall appoint individual leaders or medicinesocieties as necessary. However, no individual can speak or make decisions for medicinesocieties or displacement of medicine masks. No institution has authorityover medicine masks, as they are the sole responsibility of the medicinesocieties and the Grand Council of Chiefs.Exhibition Of Medicine Masks The public exhibition of all medicine masks is forbidden. Medicinemasks are not intended for everyone to see and such exhibition does notrecognize the sacred duties and special functions of the masks. The exhibition of masks by museums does not serve to enlighten thepublic regarding the culture of the Haudenosaunee as such exhibitionviolates the intended purpose of the mask and contributes to the desecrationof the sacred image. In addition, information regarding medicine societies is not meant forgeneral distribution. The non-Indian public does not have a right toexamine, interpret nor present the beliefs, functions and duties of the secret medicine societiesof the Haudenosaunee. The Sovereign responsibility of the Haudenosauneeover their spiritual duties must be respected by the removal of all medicinemasks from exhibitions and from access to non-Indians. Reproductions, castings, photographs or illustrations of medicine masksshould not be used in exhibitions, as the image of the medicine masks issacred and is not to be used in these fashions. To subject the image of themedicine masks to ridicule or misrepresentation is a violation of the sacredfunctions of the masks. The Council of Chiefs find that there is no proper way to explain,interpret, or present the significance of the medicine masks and thereforeasks that no attempt be made by museums to do other than to explain thewishes of the Haudenosaunee in this matter.Return Of Medicine Masks All Haudenosaunee medicine masks currently possessed by non-Indians,including museums, art galleries, historical societies, universities,commercial enterprises, foreign governments, and individuals, should bereturned to the Grand Council of Chiefs of the Haudenosaunee, who willassure their proper use and protection for future generations. There is no legal, moral or ethical way in which a medicine mask can beobtained or possessed by a non-Indian individual or an institution in thatin order for medicine masks to be removed from the society it would requirethe sanction of the Grand Council of Chiefs. This sanction has never beengiven. We ask all people to cooperate in the restoration of masks and othersacred objects to the proper caretakers among the Haudenosaunee. It is onlythrough these actions will the traditional culture remain strong and peaceto be restored to our communities.
The Iroquois Flag
The five shapes, often called "devices" represent the five original tribes. From left to right they represent the Seneca, the keepers of the Western Door; the Cayugas, the "people of the marsh" and "keepers of the Great Pipe"; The Onondaga, who were the "name bearers" who kept the wampum belt that contained the history of the Iroquois; the Oneida, the "stone people" symbolized by the Great Tree; and lastly the Mohawk, the "keepers of the eastern door".
By Emily Putz